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Floyd Takes His Turn In Spotlight

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 31, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Cliff Floyd has been down this road before.

Minutes after the fourth walk-off home run of his career gave the Rays a 2-1 triumph against the White Sox, Floyd was sitting for a television interview when B.J. Upton attempted a stealthy approach with a towel full of shaving cream.

Floyd not only sensed the traditional post-victory celebration, but also he stood up and invited Upton to let him have it square in the face.

Having made more of an impact this season with all the work he has done behind the scenes, cajoling and encouraging his younger teammates as appropriate in an effort to help them understand what it means to be a big-leaguer, Floyd was more than ready to take his turn in the spotlight.

The wicked cut he took on a 0-1 fastball from lefty-killer Scott Linebrink resulted in a ball so well-hit it looked like it might not get high enough to clear the center-field fence. Floyd didn't know it was out until the umpire signaled a home run, swirling his index finger in the air to bring the Rays pouring out of their dugout for their latest joyous gathering at home plate. Halfway between third base and home, Floyd flipped his batting helmet high in the air and lined himself up for a leap into the unruly scrum before him.

"Before I went up there, everybody was telling me to win the game, so I had a little bit more pressure than I wanted to have going up to hit," Floyd said. "To contribute to this team, man, the way we all have been going out there and trying to get it done for nine innings, just makes you sleep a ton better."

It's not that Floyd has played poorly in his first season with the Rays. His 1-for-4 night, which also included a pair of strikeouts and a costly double play, dropped his average to a still-respectable .279. It's more that he was aching to get back and do something on the field to help the team win after sitting out a month following April knee surgery.

"I know Cliff really wants to contribute," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "When he was on the DL, it was just eating him away to not be able to participate. I know that he's been wanting to do something special for us. From my perspective, it's special to have him out there every day, but when he goes out and finishes a game like that, I know, confidence-wise, that builds for him and the group."

In the wake of their fifth walk-off win of the season, four of them coming in the last three weeks, confidence is not a problem for the Rays. They endured Friday night in the face of another imposing pitcher, Jose Contreras, who allowed just one run through seven innings, and managed to beat a bullpen that hadn't surrendered an earned run in its last nine games.

Before it got to that point, the White Sox provided only one hole for the Rays to exploit. Akinori Iwamura keyed a two-out rally in the third with a single, Carl Crawford followed with a walk and Upton singled to left to drive in Iwamura for a 1-0 lead.

James Shields was well on his way to making it stand up even though he wasn't as sharp as usual. Despite his problems, he managed to navigate a dangerous White Sox lineup without an important misstep until the whippet-thin ninth-place hitter, Alexei Ramirez, jumped on an errant 1-2 pitch and pulled it into the left-field stands to tie it up.

That's where it stayed as the bullpens got involved, with Al Reyes, J.P. Howell and Dan Wheeler each turning in a scoreless inning to set up Floyd's heroics.

He almost didn't get his chance. After the Rays worked a couple of two-out walks from lefty Joe Thornton in the eighth, Maddon sent switch-hitter Willy Aybar out on deck to pinch-hit for Floyd. But Evan Longoria flied to left to end the inning and Floyd got a reprieve when Ozzie Guillen tabbed Linebrink for the ninth.

The right-handed Linebrink had been far more effective against lefties, limiting them to six hits in 45 at-bats heading into Friday. Floyd was looking fastball against him and watched one go by for a strike before connecting with the second one for another remarkable finish.

"Hopefully we win the whole season the way things are going right now," Floyd said. "That means everybody can contribute and it'd be nice to pop some bottles at the end of this thing."

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.

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